Granted Patent B2

US 12,642,322 · App. 18/171,456 · Granted Jun 2, 2026

Inventor: Hae Ju Lee (Seoul, KR)

A41G3/0083D02G3/288D02G3/34D10B2503/08

Abstract

Claims (56)

1 . A continuous strand extended in a longitudinal direction thereof, wherein

the continuous strand is in a form of:

a simple strand that has rotational twisting produced by rotations of a plurality of filaments and is extended in the longitudinal direction; or

a composite strand that has cross-twisting produced by revolutions of a plurality of simple strands, braiding, or cross-twisting and braiding the plurality of simple strands,

the simple strand, and each of the plurality of simple strands constituting the composite strand, comprises 40 to 4,000 filaments made of one or more types of polymer components selected from an amorphous organic polymer, a semi-crystalline organic polymer, or a polymer alloy thereof,

each of the simple strand and the composite strand has a cross-sectional shape of a circular shape, an oval shape, and a polygonal shape selected from a triangle, a quadrangle, and a pentagon, and

when the cross-section shape is circle or oval, a diameter of the circle or a longest diameter of the oval is in a range of 0.2 cm to 3.0 cm, and

when the cross-section shape is a polygon, a length of at least one side of the polygon is in a range of 0.2 cm to 3.0 cm,

each of the simple strand and the composite strand further comprises:

a pencil normal (PN) section extending along the longitudinal direction thereof and having a first cross-sectional area of a constant size;

two first pencil tapering (PT) sections respectively extending from both ends where PN section ends and are tapered in such a way that cross-sectional areas decrease;

two second PT sections respectively extending from an end of one of two pencil connection (PC) sections each having a second cross-sectional area of a constant size which is smaller than the first cross-sectional area, wherein each of the two second PT sections is tapered in such a way that its cross-sectional area increases from the second cross-sectional area again; and

the two pencil connection (PC) sections each connecting one of the first PT sections and one of the second PT sections that are adjacent to each other,

when a section of bilateral symmetry including the PN section and the two first PT sections respectively linked to both ends of the PN section is set as one cycle, each of the simple strand and the composite strand repeatedly comprises two or more multiple cycles, each of the one cycles which are adjacent to each other is connected by the PC section, and

when a part of the one cycle, having only one first PT section and including all or part of the PN section of the one cycle, is cut to separate the part of the one cycle from each of the simple strand and the composite strand, and lengths of the filaments thus separated are measured in the longitudinal direction while maintaining textures and waves imparted to separated filaments, a difference Ld between a length of a longest filament Lmax and a length of a shortest filament Lmin, and a length Lpt of the first PT section included in the separated part of the one cycle are not equal to each other, wherein the continuous strand is used for making a wig.

2 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein each of cross-sectional areas of the PN sections comprised in each one cycle comprised in the two or more multiple cycles is the same as or different from each other.

3 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein:

when a part of the one cycle, having only one first PT section and including all or part of the PN section of the one cycle, is cut to separate the part of the one cycle from each of the simple strand and the composite strand, lengths of the filaments thus separated are measured in the longitudinal direction while maintaining textures and waves imparted to the filaments, and the filaments have the same length with each other.

4 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein when:

the PN section, the first PT sections, or the second PT sections are respectively cut to separate them from each of the simple strand and the composite strand, and

lengths of the filaments are measured in the longitudinal direction while maintaining textures and waves imparted to the filaments:

the lengths of the filaments in each section thus separated is the same as each other; or

the filaments in each section thus separated have 2, 3, or 4 length groups different from each other.

5 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein:

a plurality of the first and second PT sections connected to a plurality of the PN sections are produced by gradient shrinkage (GS) of the filaments in the longitudinal direction, and

due to the gradient shrinkage (GS), at least one of the following is expressed: gradient thickness (GT) or gradient denier (GD) in which a thickness of the filaments decreases in the first PT section and increases in the second PT section along the longitudinal direction, and

gradient porosity (GP) in which porosity, which is a void volume ratio existing between the filaments, decrease in the first PT section and increases in the second PT section along the longitudinal direction.

6 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the first and second PT sections connected to a plurality of the PN sections are produced by gradient shrinkage (GS) of the filaments in the longitudinal direction, and due to the gradient shrinkage (GS), only a gradient thickness (GT) of the filaments is expressed such that a thickness of the filaments decreases in the first PT section and increases in the second PT section along the longitudinal direction.

7 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the first and second PT sections connected to a plurality of the PN sections are produced by gradient shrinkage (GS) of the filaments in the longitudinal direction, and

only gradient porosity (GP) is expressed such that porosity, which is a void volume ratio existing between the filaments, decreases in the first PT section and increases in the second PT section along the longitudinal direction.

8 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein a sum of rotational twistings, cross-twistings, and braidings acting on a unit length of each of the simple strand and the composite strand at each tip of the first and second PT sections is 1.2 times to 5.5 times greater than a sum of rotational twistings, cross-twistings, and

braidings acting on a unit length of each of the simple strand and the composite strand in the PN section excluding rubbing locks (RLs), cross-twisted locks (CTLs), and braiding locks (BLs) portions formed at tips of the first and second PT sections.

9 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein a porosity of the PN section and the first and second PT sections is calculated as a ratio of real density to bulk density (RD/BD),

the RD/BD ratio of the PN section is 1.5 to 30, and

the RD/BD ratio of the PN section is 1.2 times to 10 times greater than the RD/BD ratio of the first and second PT sections excluding rubbing locks (RLs), cross-twisted locks (CTLs), and braiding locks (BLs) portions formed at tips of the first and second PT sections.

10 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein:

the PN section shows a three-dimensional shape of a cylinder, an elliptical cylinder, a rectangular prism, or a pentagonal prism, and

the first and second PT sections show a three-dimensional shape of a truncated cone having a circular cross-section of a cylindrical PN section as a base,

an elliptical truncated cone having an elliptical cross-section of the PN section having an elliptical cylinder shape as a base,

frustum of quadrangular pyramid having a rectangular cross-section of the PN section having a rectangular prism shape as a base, or

frustum of pentagonal pyramid having a pentagonal cross-section of the PN section having a pentagonal prism shape as a base.

11 . The continuous strand of claim 10 , wherein, in a side view of the first and second PT sections, a center line formed by connecting in the longitudinal direction: a midpoint of a line segment, which indicates a base side of the truncated cone, the elliptical truncated cone, a frustum of quadrangular pyramid, or the frustum of pentagonal pyramid,

to a midpoint of a line segment, which indicates an upper side of the truncated cone, the elliptical truncated cone, the frustum of quadrangular pyramid, or the frustum of pentagonal pyramid, forms an angle with any one of hypotenuses of the truncated cone, the elliptical truncated cone, the pentagonal pyramid, the frustum of quadrangular pyramid, or the frustum of pentagonal pyramid of 0.3° to 45°; and

in the side view of the first and second PT sections, a length of the center line formed by connecting the midpoint of the line segment indicating the base side of the first and second PT sections to the midpoint of the line segment indicating the upper side, is 1 cm to 50 cm.

12 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein the decrease in cross-sectional area in a first PT section is a result of a decrease in porosity between the filaments constituting each of the simple strand and the composite strand and/or a decrease in a thickness of the filaments, and

in the first and second PT sections, each of the simple strand and the composite strand have a solid form where a respective center portion is not empty, unlike a hollow form having an empty center portion.

13 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein the continuous strand is axisymmetric relative to a virtual line cutting in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction at a midpoint of the PN section.

14 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein each of the simple strand and the composite strand has a length of 1 m or more.

15 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein each of the filaments has a thickness of 30 denier to 180 denier.

16 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein:

a length of the PN section is in a range of 5 cm to 200 cm,

a length of each of the first and second PT sections is in a range of 1 cm to 50 cm, and

a length of the PC section is in a range of 0.3 cm to 5 cm.

17 . The continuous strand of claim 1 , wherein ethe simple strand, and the composite strand are in a form that is cut to a predetermined length in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

18 . A wig, comprising:

the continuous strand as defined in claim 1 .

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (19)